Can’t wait for our final Grand-parenting workshop tomorrow morning, just in time for Mother’s Day! It is wonderful to see so many Grandmas and Grandpas come out to share in our discussion on the joys and challenges of grand-parenting. We are grateful to Parent and Family Educator, Susan McKane, of Merrymount Children’s Centre (London, ON) for her expert leadership in this area.
As we approach Mother’s Day, I am reminded that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a loving Mom or Grandma in their lives. When our children were still very young, my mother passed away. My husband’s mother lived a whole ocean away in St. Andrews, Scotland and thus our children were not able to visit with her that often. So we adopted a Grandma. We called her Grandma Shirley and she was a wonderful, loving grandmother to our four children, even though she already had eight grandchildren of her own and numerous great-grandchildren. But she always maintained that a Grandma’s heart has enough room to love all the grandchildren. When Grandma Shirley Mallalieu died in September of 2014, our children were heartbroken. Today they continue to recount the happy memories they have of a devoted grandma who gave them the best gifts of all — her time and her love.
If you do not have grandchildren, or if your grandchildren live too far away to be able to visit them regularly, or if, as sometimes happens, relations have become strained, think of someone in your own community that you can help to grand-parent. Children can never have too many loving adults in their lives and grand-parents have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people today. Sharing your faith journey with a young person will not only introduce them to the riches of our religious heritage, but also enrich your own spirituality in ways both large and small.
Boomerality 